


the path to you

by astraljackal



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Blindness, Coping, Grief/Mourning, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:48:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28682070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astraljackal/pseuds/astraljackal
Summary: “Iggy.” Prompto’s voice dripped of hesitance. We were outside in the stiff air, huddled around a plastic table. “How often do you think of Noct?”“Always. I think about him with everything I do. I have vivid memories and see him often in my mind,” I said. “It is hard to stop replaying old memories in my head because I no longer have the ability to witness new ones.”Ignis is coping with Noctis's fate. He, Gladiolus, and Prompto are awaiting the moment Noctis rises to claim the throne. But waiting isn't easy.
Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Kudos: 46





	the path to you

Both Gladiolus and Prompto had ways of dealing with Noct’s absence. Gladiolus threw himself into training to distract himself from thinking. He slayed monsters, behemoths, and mutants. I would aid him occasionally. Ultimately, though, Gladio and I would function better apart. Though he never said it, my impairment hindered my usefulness in battle. Per my suggestion, I claimed that I would prefer to leave him to the slaying. He did not argue. The two of us didn't truly connect again until months after Noct’s slumber began and I came to Gladiolus with an offer. 

My blindness inhibited my fighting, so I wished to train with him to better myself without the use of my sight. I spent months with Gladiolus in the fields of Leide to harness my combat awareness. In the beginning days of our training, after being consistently floored by Gladio’s tower shield, I became so overwhelmed that I collapsed on the field mid-fight. I will never forget that day:

_“This is all pointless! I’m useless like this! I wish that ring-”_

_Gladiolus dissolved his shield and picked me up by the pleats of my shirt in an instant. His skin was slick with sweat, and just being in the vicinity of him left my body warm. Wet tears streaked my cheeks._

__

_“Ignis. Don't you ever say that shit again. You chose this path on your own. You didn't have to put on that damn ring, but you did.” His fingers released their grip and I crumpled back onto my knees. “You saved his life. He lives as a beacon for all of us, saved by your actions. And you're gonna give up now? There's so much more to fight for. Give me your hand.”_

__

__

_My fingers found his palm, thick and worn from sword work, and he hoisted me up. His voice bloomed with encouragement. He materialized his shield again and slammed it down, displacing the dirt and changing his stance, “Come at me again. For Noct.”_

* * *

Prompto copes through helping others. He joined the Meldacio Hunter HQ and focused primarily on hunter rescue missions. Here, too, I would aid him occasionally. Once again, though, I would not move fast enough for these intense missions. I found myself preventing Prompto from completing jobs efficiently. I offered the option again, as I did with Gladio, to not accompany him on missions. He sheepishly agreed, but on his conditions. 

Prompto insisted that I join him on hunts-- simple ones that we could complete together in an afternoon. This allowed me to put my training into practice. We stayed in caravans often, and Prompto would help me cook. He steadied my hand when cutting vegetables for curry and made sure meats were fully cooked. His small, calloused hands guided mine when I did not have the ability to do the things I loved. 

We had many deep conversations in lawn chairs. Though early on, our conversations struggled to take root in seriousness. We had proceeded as if Noctis did not envelope himself in a crystal for the betterment of the world. The night that Prompto broke this illusion gave me clearance to finally confide in him: 

_“Iggy.” Prompto’s voice dripped of hesitance. We were outside in the stiff air, huddled around a plastic table. “How often do you think of Noct?”_

_“Always. I think about him with everything I do. I have vivid memories and see him often in my mind,” I said. “It is hard to stop replaying old memories in my head because I no longer have the ability to witness new ones.”_

_“I… think I understand that. I can’t seem to take pictures anymore. I think of him too much and my stomach curls into knots.” Prompto’s knee began to tap into the table. He was bouncing his leg, a tell-tale sign of his increasing anxiousness. “I keep thinking of him in everything I do and I don’t know how to live anymore. Do I act like I never knew him? That nothing is wrong?”_

_His last word came out as plea. He sucked in air and attempted to build the courage to continue._

_“It’s not fucking fair! Damn that crystal for taking him,” Prompto inhaled again, through his teeth now. “Noctis is gone and we aren’t even a team anymore! It’s like we all died with him! Gladio is off doing Gods know what. You’re still recovering. I’m… trying to keep going."_

_His leg stilled and the table stopped shaking. Prompto continued, "When Noctis was here, I always knew what to do. Without him here… nothing feels right. The days are shrinking; the nights are longer. I know I can handle myself-- but what’s the point anymore?”_

_Prompto was closing himself up. His voice tucked into his chest. I did all I could think to do: I rose from my seat, closed the distance, and pulled him into a hug. The front of my shirt soaked up his tears as his arms circled my waist._

_“I miss him so much, Iggy.”_

_“You are not alone. I’m here for you. We will make it through this.”_

The last statement- though directed to Prompto- was also a gentle assurance to myself.

We talked extensively after that. We discussed Noctis, our feelings of his absence, of Gladio, of my condition, of the Ring of the Lucii- and more. We wept together. We held each other when we needed it most. 

I did not cope well alone. My impairment left me vulnerable. I constantly leaned on others to help myself, and I do not regret that path. That path prepared me to meet the new Noct that walked into the Hammerhead Diner years later.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! I'm a little rusty with AO3, but I plan to make this a 4-5 chapter endeavor. As always, my DMs are open. I hope you enjoyed, and stay tuned for the next one.


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